Major types of ecosystems

MAJOR TYPES OF
ECOSYSTEMS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
Ms. Catherine T. Añano (Fulltime Lecturer)

TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
A terrestrial ecosystem is an
ecosystem found only on landforms.
Six primary terrestrial ecosystems
exist:
• tundra,
• taiga,
• temperate deciduous forest,
• tropical rain forest,
• grassland; and
• desert.

TUNDRA
 An ecosystem situated near the
North Pole in the Arctic Circle; thus,
the coldest and driest of all terrestrial
ecosystems.
 Winters are extremely cold with
temperatures typically below -34° C.
The summers last only about two
months and the temperatures are still
very cold ranging from 3° to 12° C.

TUNDRA
 The word tundra comes from the
Finnish word tunturia which means
treeless land.
 There are two types of tundra - arctic
tundra and alpine tundra. The arctic
tundra is located within the Arctic
Circle while the alpine tundra is the
area high in the mountains above
trees.
 The largest animal that lives in the
tundra ecosystem is the polar bear.

TUNDRA
Arctic Tundra Alpine Tundra

Tundra in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.

Polar bears Beetle
Long-tailed weasel

TAIGA
 The largest terrestrial ecosystem and
extends across Europe, North
America and Asia.
 It is also known as coniferous forest
or boreal forest.
 It has short, wet summers and long,
cold winters. It gets plenty of snow
during the winter and plenty of
rainfall during the summer.

Taiga

TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST
 It experiences all four seasons-winter,
spring, summer, and fall.
 The four seasons are easily
recognizable and each lasts about 3
months.
 It is located in the United States,
Canada, Europe, China, Japan and
some parts of Russia.
 Its soil is very fertile and rich with
nutrients.

TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST
 Black bears and wolves are very
common animals that live in the
temperate deciduous forest ecosystem.
 The growing season of the temperate
deciduous forest lasts about six months.
 The leaves of deciduous trees change
color in the fall because the plant or tree
stops producing chlorophyll which is
what gives them their green color.

TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
 An ecosystem that covers about 7% of
the Earth’s surface.
 Majority of the tropical rain forests lies
in South America in Brazil.
 Tropical rainforests are one of the
oldest ecosystems on Earth.
 It is responsible for the majority of the
oxygen production in the air that we
breathe.

Amazon Rainforest

GRASSLAND
 Grasslands are also known as prairies
and savannas.
 Grasslands are normally situated
between a forest and a desert. In fact,
grasslands surround every desert in
Asia.
 Twenty-five percent of the Earth is
covered by the grassland ecosystem.
 There is a grassland on each continent
with the exception of Antarctica.

GRASSLAND
 Tropical and temperate are the two
kinds of grasslands. Tropical
grasslands experience warm weather
all year long while temperate
grasslands are warm part of the year
and very cold during the other part.
 Grasslands are perfect for cropping
and pasturing because its soil runs
deep and is extremely fertile.

GRASSLAND
 Tropical grasslands are located in the
Southern Hemisphere while temperate
grasslands are located in the Northern
Hemisphere.
 Animals that you can expect to find in
a grassland ecosystem are zebras,
lions, wolves, prairie dogs, and foxes.
 The grasslands in the United States
are known as prairies and are
considered to be temperate
grasslands.

A grassland west of Coalinga, California.

Savanna in the Samburu Game Preserve, Kenya.

Colorado prairie

DESERT
 Deserts cover about 20% of the Earth.
 The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in
the desert ecosystem. It covers over 300
million square miles.
 Many desert animals tend to be
nocturnal, sleeping during the day and
coming out at night when the
temperatures are more tolerable.
 Because there is hardly any standing
water in the desert, animals either store
water in their bodies or get their water
needs met by the foods they eat.

DESERT
 Dust storms occur when the wind
picks up dust from the surface. These
storms can be up to 1 mile high and
travel over a hundred miles.
 The desert ecosystem can be found on
every continent except Europe.
 Because body fat retains heat, most
desert animals have an adaptation that
allows them to store all their body fat
in one area of their body. The camel
stores all its body fat in its hump.

DESERT
 The plants that are able to grow in the
desert biome store water in their stem.
They normally grow spaced out so
that their roots can extend and find
water.
 Cacti have many adaptions to survive
in the desert. Their spines protect
them from being eaten by animals and
their waxy outer covering keeps
moisture from escaping.

Sahara Desert

AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
An aquatic ecosystem is an
ecosystem located in a body of
water.
Two major aquatic ecosystems
exist:
• Marine ecosystem; and
• Freshwater ecosystem

MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
 The largest ecosystem with coverage
of nearly 71% of the Earth’s surface
and containing 97% of the planet’s
water.
 The water in marine ecosystems has
salts and minerals dissolved in them
in high amounts.
 There are two common and major
types of marine ecosystems: ocean
and coral reef ecosystems.

OCEAN
 There are five ocean ecosystems -
Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian
Ocean, Southern Ocean, and the Arctic
Ocean.
 At 36, 200 feet deep, the Mariana Trench
is the deepest part of the ocean
ecosystem.
 The largest ocean of the ocean
ecosystems is the Pacific Ocean.
 The ocean ecosystem is home to the
largest known mammal of the world = the
blue whale.

Atlantic Ocean

CORAL REEF
 It is located in a shallow, clear portion of
the ocean in mostly tropical areas. These
areas include the coasts of East Africa,
South India, Australia, Florida, the
Caribbean, and Brazil.
 The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral
reef ecosystem and is located in
Australia. It can actually be seen from
outer space.
 The Great Barrier Reef covers more than
1,200 miles and contains 400 species of
coral.

FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS
 Covers only 0.8% of the
Earth’s surface and contain
0.009% of its total water.
 There are two basic types of
freshwater ecosystems:
lentic, and lotic.

LENTIC ECOSYSTEMS
 Lentic ecosystems are also
called standing waters.
 It includes lakes, ponds,
swamps, marshes, and
vernal pools.

Manzanita Lake toward Mt. Lassen, California

LOTIC ECOSYSTEMS
 Lotic ecosystems are also
called flowing waters.
 It includes rivers, streams,
creeks, brooks, and springs.

Agusan River

Major types of ecosystems

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